Drogsan İlaçları Focuses on "2035" Targets in Its 50th Year

Report: B. Serhat Cengiz
Photos: Taner Dalkılıç

Drogsan İlaçları, ranked among Turkey's top 50 pharmaceutical companies, is continuing its health journey with forward-looking targets as it leaves behind 2025, the year it celebrated its 50th anniversary. Dr. Ersan Küçük, General Director of Drogsan İlaçları, announced that by 2035 the company aims to increase production capacity from 40 million boxes to 100 million boxes, double exports, and achieve a 1% market share in the sector.

What would you like to say about your role, career journey and the development process of Drogsan İlaçları?
I am Dr. Ersan Küçük, born in 1960 in Dörtyol. I graduated from Ege University Faculty of Medicine in 1983. Between 1983 and 1990, I worked as a physician for 7 years. From 1990 onwards, I have held various positions in the pharmaceutical sector. I first entered the sector as a product manager. I subsequently advanced in my career as sales manager, marketing manager, and general director. In 2008, I joined Drogsan İlaçları as General Director. I have been serving at Drogsan İlaçları for approximately 17 years.

Since the day I started, we have been making great efforts to bring Drogsan to its current position. From that day to today, there have been significant changes in our pharmaceutical portfolio. Today we have reached a position among Turkey's top 50 companies.

Which areas is Drogsan İlaçları currently focused on? Can you provide information about your current product groups?
Drogsan operates in four main product groups. Our pharma group concentrates on areas such as general practice, internal medicine and obstetrics and gynecology, while we have three groups working in specific areas. One specializes in dermatology, another in nephrology and dialysis, and another in neurology and infectious diseases. In total, we are a company with 70 brands in 140 different formulations. We provide treatment solutions in many specialty fields including otolaryngology, dentistry, pediatrics, gastroenterology, infectious diseases, general surgery, nephrology, dermatology, neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, urology, and cardiology. In addition to pharmaceutical products, we serve Turkish medicine with dietary supplement products and dermocosmetic products, and continue to add new and innovative products in these areas to our portfolio.

Which technological transformations have come to the fore in the pharmaceutical industry in recent years? How is Drogsan İlaçları adapting to these transformations and what are your R&D priorities?
In the Turkish pharmaceutical industry, discovery of new molecules is not really an issue. As pharmaceutical companies, we generally develop equivalent products. However, we define Drogsan İlaçları' R&D philosophy as "developing value-added products." This means developing products that provide benefits to patients and advantages in physician use by making modifications equivalent to reference products. Our main goal is to develop our product portfolio in this direction. On the other hand, when we look at technological developments in the pharmaceutical sector, biological agents, and drugs developed from gene technology and cell technology stand out. There is also the field of gene therapy. However, there is not yet sufficient infrastructure in Turkey for their development. Currently, many companies are investing in biotechnology; we are one of them. For example, we are the pharmaceutical company that produced Turkey's first domestically manufactured erythropoietin. However, our industry's progress in these areas depends on certain conditions being met. Our sector faces serious issues related to pricing. Pharmaceutical prices in Turkey are currently cheaper than in Bangladesh. In such a situation, it becomes quite difficult for the pharmaceutical sector to accumulate capital and invest. Therefore, as Drogsan, we determine and implement our R&D policy in light of these realities.

Can you provide information about your quality standards and production processes?
As Drogsan, we have certifications and regulatory approvals documenting our approach to quality, safety and corporate governance at national and international levels. We conduct all our activities in accordance with the responsibilities imposed by these standards. Our quality approach, certified by ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System, is process-oriented, prioritizes customer satisfaction, and is based on the principle of continuous improvement; we undergo regular inspections every year. In pharmaceuticals, production quality is a primary priority; however, the most important standard in the pharmaceutical sector is "Good Manufacturing Practice" (GMP). Our manufacturing facility, approved by the Turkish Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency (TİTCK) and many health authorities abroad, operates in compliance with international GMP standards. Today, Turkey is a member of PIC/S. This means that in an organization with approximately 50 member countries, Turkey's standard is above a certain level. The Turkish Ministry of Health regularly inspects pharmaceutical companies. A company that fails to pass these inspections cannot continue to exist. Hygiene conditions, facility requirements, building structure, employees' work clothes, technical equipment, and many other things are governed solely by regulations. Because these requirements are clearly defined, specialized architectural and engineering solutions are involved; from building construction to the placement of machinery within the facility. In this context, I must mention one more thing that I cannot pass over without saying: the Turkish pharmaceutical sector is not behind its global competitors. On the contrary, it has the capacity to produce contract manufacturing for global brands. The pharmaceutical sector used to be one that caused a current account deficit in our country. While the ratio of exports to imports was at 15% levels ten years ago, it has risen to 35% today. With each passing day, production capacity in Turkey is increasing and we are becoming a country with rising export rates.

What does sustainability mean for you? Can you give examples of steps you have taken to reduce environmental impacts?
Although sustainability appears to be a new concept, actually when we look back at the past, it is a concept we have known from our grandmothers and grandfathers. Teachings such as not leaving food on the table or taking only as much food on the plate as will be eaten actually form the foundation of sustainability. As Drogsan İlaçları, we had the pleasure of publishing our first sustainability report in our 50th year. As one of the pioneering pharmaceutical companies with 100% domestic capital, we shared our environmental, social and economic performance for 2023 with the public. We worked on the report for approximately a year and a half. We are currently continuing preparations for our 2024-2025 report. We particularly aim to reduce carbon and water footprint in production processes, increase energy efficiency and implement renewable energy investments. At the same time, we will continue to add value to society through education, health and social benefit projects.

How do you integrate digitalization and technology into your business? Are there examples where you use artificial intelligence or automation?
Digitalization is a very important topic. Particularly when we consider the needs of the era. When I started in the sector in 1990, there were no computers, only paper files and faxes. Now I never receive any paper, all processes proceed in a digital environment. Digitalization has spread across different areas in the pharmaceutical sector. In Turkey, there is a system we call the Pharmaceutical Tracking System (İTS). This is a system in which Turkey is pioneering in the world. Every pharmaceutical box contains a QR code and each box is unique. The Ministry of Health tracks the chain from production to consumption. This actually means tracking quality as well.

Drogsan İlaçları, with ISO 27001:2017 Information Security Management System, is a company that ensures the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of corporate information assets. With our TURQUALITY® certificate, we are one of very few companies in the Turkish pharmaceutical sector that has received this certificate. After being accepted into the TURQUALITY® program, we advanced digitalization one step further. During the program; by focusing on sustainability topics such as quality management, human resources development, digitalization, and information security company-wide, we strengthened our corporate resilience. Reporting to the Executive Board, we have a digitalization committee headed by the Director of Human Resources and Information Technologies. Colleagues from all our departments are members of the committee.

As a company, we are not only managing today, but also resolutely implementing strategic moves that will shape the future. One of these is the "ANKA Project" we recently launched. The SAP S/4HANA transformation project, an important stage in our digitalization journey, was the first step of a comprehensive transformation that moved our way of doing business to a more agile, integrated and data-driven point. We made a strategic move representing Drogsan's resilience, future outlook, and will for development and change. Named after the Phoenix, which symbolizes rebirth and empowerment, the project was designed with the goal of making our processes more efficient, sustainable and strong, while also supporting our company's long-term competitive strength.

What are your growth targets in Turkey and abroad? What is your next step in terms of collaborations and exports?
As Drogsan İlaçları, we celebrated our 50th anniversary in 2025. We are satisfied with our current position; but we do not consider it sufficient. We have a 10-year period ahead of us: "Target 2035". We currently have a production capacity of approximately 40 million boxes. We foresee that with our new factory coming online in the next 5-year period, we will reach a capacity of 100 million boxes. In 2035, as a company exceeding a 1% market share in the pharmaceutical sector, we wish to hold a stronger position in the sector.

Export has always been important to us. We are a company with an export-to-import coverage ratio above the sector average. We have an export capacity of approximately USD 10 million. By 2035, our main goal is to reach an export capacity of USD 20-25 million. Additionally, particularly in what we call regulated markets—the European market—we are confident that we will be a company with a presence there. Once our investment project is completed, with the increase in our production capacity, we aim to strengthen our operational efficiency and further solidify our position in national and international markets.

On this occasion, I wish 2026 to be a year of success for the Turkish pharmaceutical industry and all our stakeholders. I hope the new year brings health, peace and happiness for our country, the world and all mankind.